Troodon
Troodon is one of the most terrifying and eerie predators to ever feature in the franchise for reasons that far then make up for its modest size. Troodon was a Troodonid dinosaur from the middle to late Cretaceous period and a close relative of Dromaeosaurids ("Raptors") and true birds. It is well known amongst paleontological circles as the dinosaur with the largest brain to body size ratio. In the Jurassic Park expanded canon, Troodon is a voracious, nocturnal predator with paralytic venom and a gruesome habit of using its prey's body heat to incubate its eggs by tearing open their comatose body and using it as a nest. Name Meaning "Troodon" means "Wounding Tooth", referring to the extremely large, recurved serrations present on the genus' teeth that could shred through material with ease. Some Paleontologist hypothesis the genus and its relatives might have been omnivorous as these teeth could saw through flesh and vegetation alike extremely well. Discovered Discovered and named by Joseph Leidy in 1856 from a few teeth found in Montana, Troodon has a dubious classification because no skeletal material had been found. This resulted in related genera being dumped onto the Troodon name, causing it to become a "Waste Basket Taxon". In the present day the two morphs often ascribed to Troodon are reclassified as Latenivenatrix and Stenonychosaurus ''for the large and small morphs respectively. For the sake of continuity and because this divide wasn't made until the 2010s, this article will refer to the creature as ''Troodon. Anatomy In terms of size, the InGen creations most closely align with the wolf sized Stenonychosaurus ''as opposed to the grizzly bear sized ''Latenivenatrix. Because of the reclassification of the genus, it is therefore most likely the InGen creation is Stenonychosaurus. '' In the reality the genus was completely covered in feathers and sported a less flattened, taller skull. While the eyes were large and pointed forwards, they likely didn't glow in the dark but could have a strong reflective eyeshine. Like all film universe Theropods, ''Troodon sports pronated wrists whereas the real life animal had inwards facing palms. Habitat Troodon was seen mostly roaming denser jungles but showed no aversion at traversing through human dwellings, even making a nesting site without the confines of the geothermal planet and ventilation system. Other animals instinctively are wary of the genus and will flee the area at their approach. Their very presence caused a pack of Velociraptor and a clan of juvenile Dilophosaurus to retreat from those locations. Creation and Size Creation While unconfirmed, it is likely Troodon was originally bred on Isla Sorna before at least eight of them where brought to Isla Nublar. Their terrifying appearance and venomous nature, which resulted in several worker fatalities, spurred John Hammond to declare them unfit for the park and to be put down. Unknown to him, Dr. Laura Sorkin kept the pack in quarantine pens far on the edge of Isla Nublar. Unlike the originals, the clones have white eyes instead yellow, having a venomous bite and were lacked in feathers. Size At roughly 110 pounds and 3 feet tall, Troodon isn't the largest predator but this wolf-sized carnivore's speed, nocturnal nature, intelligence, and venom more than make up for this fact. Status Troodon's current status as a species is unknown as the genus was scrubbed from all official records. While it is possible they evaded detection on Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna, their aggressive nature makes this unlikely. The genus was probably exterminated in the Isla Nublar clean up operations conducted in the early 2000s to make way for Jurassic World. The Isla Sorna population, if one ever existed, is also unknown but probably also extinct. Jurassic Park: The Game (Telltale) After an incident in which several Troodon mauled and killed a worker, Hammond ordered the genus destroyed and to be scrubbed from the record. Dr. Laura Sorkin however couldn't go through with it and secretly kept a pack of them alive in quarantine pens on the first side of Isla Nublar. They escaped and wrecked havoc on man and beast alike. They were directly responsible for the deaths of all of Bravo Team and Alpha Team's DeCaf from the InGen rescue teams dispatched to Isla Nublar to rescue the survivors. One Troodon also bit Biosyn contractor Nima Cruz, but park veterinarian Jerry Harding was able to save her under Dr. Sorkin's instructions to use tranquilizer as an antidote. The Troodon clan continued to hound the survivors across the island until being forced back by both daylight and the use of road flares. It's unknown when exactly the genus went extinct again as there is no record of them being on Isla Sorna or Isla Nublar and documentation of them was destroyed. There is some suggestion they were present during the InGen led 'clean up' of Nublar, but were under no circumstances were to be salvaged so they might have been killed off. But it remains a mystery, even if they were still around, Mount Sibo would've killed them off. Because of their gruesome nature it doesn't appear that Masrani ever cloned the genus again. Jurassic Park: Builder LEGO Jurassic World Jurassic World: The Game Jurassic World Evolution Trivia * The Troodon is the first animal chronologically and second by release to sport feathers in the official canon, appearing in a 1993 setting from a 2010s videogame. The first was the 2001 rendition of the Velociraptors from Jurassic Park 3. Though they aren't nearly as feathery as they would be in life. * Troodon is one of three dinosaurs in the franchise confirmed to be venomous, the Dilophosaurus and Compsognathus (at least in the novel) being the other two. Of the three it is the most toxic and the only one to have a neurotoxin that paralyzes their prey. * The Troodon's calls were made by combining crocodile, elk, cougar, and hawk calls. Category:Dinosaurs Category:Theropods Category:Theropod Category:Possibly Living Category:Antagonist Category:Deceased